Improved car-coupling



E. CARY.

Car Coupling. No. 53,215.

Patented Mar. 13, 1866.

UNITED STATES ATENT rrrcE. I

EBENEZER GARY, OF BURLINGTON, IOWVA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, HORACE H.HAWVLEY, AND JOHN SULLY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVED CAR-COUPLING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 53,215, dated March 13,1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EBENEZER GARY, of Burlington, in the county of DesMoines and State of Iowa, have invented a new and 1mproved (larOonpling;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a sidesectional view of my invention, taken in the line 00 :r, Fig. 2; Fig. 2,a plan or top view of the same; Fig. 3, a detached lower end view of thecoupling-pin Figs. 4, 5, and 6, horizontal sections of the draw-head,taken respectively in the lines 3 y, z z, z 2, Fig. 7; Fig. 7, anenlarged longitudinal section of the upper part of the drawhead, takenin the same line as Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a newand improved coupling for railroad-cars,and of that class which are commonly termed self-acting orself-coupling.

The invention consists in the employment or use of a suspendedcoupling-pin supporter, a coupling-pin of peculiar shape, which isfitted and works in a hole or aperture of peculiar form in thedraw-head, the above parts being used in connection with a link orshackle and a draw-head of peculiar construction, all arranged in such amanner as to form a simple and etficient coupling of the kind specified.

A represents the draw-head, which may be constructed of either wroughtor cast iron and applied to the car in the usual way. The draw-head isformed with a cavity, a, at its front part, and with a flaringmouth-piece, b, to admit of the proper entrance of the link or shackle Bof the draw-head of an adjoining car, whether the platforms of the carsbe of equal or unequal height or the draw-heads in or out of line.

The draw-head has a pin-hole, G, in it, extending vertically through itstop and bottom, in which the coupling-pin D is fitted and works. Thishole 0, at its upper part, is notched at its corners or angles, as shownat 0, Figs. 4. and 6, in order to admit of the pin rising and fallingfreely within it should the pin become ragged or burred at its edgesfrom use, and said hole, just below its upper edge, as indicated by theline 2 z, is made of circular form, as shown in Fig. 5, to admit of thelower circular part, 6?,

0f the couplingfin being turned around in it when it is desired that thepin shall be sustained, so as to avoid the coupling or connecting of twocars. This will be presently fully described. The pin-hole 0 below theline z z, as indicated by the line 2 z, is provided with projections e0, two at each side. (See Fig. 6.) On these projections the coupling-pinrests when it is not designed to have the cars connected together. (SeeFig. 7.) The couplingpin D is of rectangular form in its transversesection, corresponding to the shape of the upper end or orifice of thehole 0; and the pin a short distance above its lower end is notched informing a rounded neck,f, to admit of the pin being turned when drawnup, and said neck is in line with the upper end or orifice of the hole(l.

E represents a block or short bar, which serves as a support for the pinD. This block is fitted within the cavity a of the draw-head, and issuspended on journals g g at its upper part, the lower end of the blockbeing considerabl y heavier than the upper part, the object of whichwill be presently shown. The end of onejournal of the block E isprovided with a handle or crank by which said block may be turned orraised whenever necessary.

At the front side of the upper part of the block E there is aprojection, h, which extends forward and serves as a support for the pinwhen the block is allowed to hang freely down and the device is setready for coupling, as will be fully understood by referring to Fig. 1.

The lower end of the pin D has a small rod, 1', fitted transversely init, which prevents the pin being drawn out from the draw-head, theorifice or upper end of the hole 0 preventing it, and an opening, j, isin the lower part or bottom of the draw-head to prevent the accumulationof dirt in a.

From the above description it will be seen that when the pin D is raisedor drawn up, so that its lower end will be above the block E the latterwill drop owing to the increased weight of its lower end, and theprojection h at the upper end of the block will catch and hold the pin Das said projection will pass underneath the pin, the block being hung orsuspended in such a position as to effect that result; and it willfurther be seen that by shoving the link or shackle B into the cavity aof the draw-head the support E of the drawhead will be forced back andthe pin D will drop through the link or shackle.

If it be desired to set the pin so that the draw-heads of two adjoiningears may strike together without coupling, the pin D is drawn up to itsfullest extent and turned around at right angles to its former position,so that the sides of the upper end or orifice may fit in the notchesaround the neck f of the coupling-pin, the lower end of said pin restingon the projections e e, and the pin thereby supported independently. ofthe block E.

If it be desired to set the link or shackle B so as to couple easilywith a draw-head on a lower car, that result will be attained by drawingthe link out as far as possible and slanting it downward, or, if with ahigher car, by pushing it in and slanting it upward. When the link isslanted upward or set level it will be kept in place by the pressureupon its rear of the pin-support or block E.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-- In combination with the coupling-pin D, constructedas described, the peculiar-shaped opening 0 in the draw-headA, wherebythe pin, being raised and turned, may be supported independently of theblock in the draw-head, in the manner as herein described.

The above specification of my invention signed by me.

- EBENEZER GARY.

NVitnesses:

SHELDON HAWLEY, E. A. VAN METER.

